Eleazar Padrón1,2, Luis Bañares3, Carlos Montero3,4, Nemesio M. Pérez1,2, Gladys V. Melián1,2, Francisco Tabares3, María Asensio-Ramos1, Pedro A. Hernández1,2, Pedro Recio3 and Javier Cachón3
¹Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (INVOLCAN), 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife,
Canary Islands, Spain
2Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (ITER), 38600 Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
3Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
4Helium 3 Technologies & Consulting, Madrid, Spain
Abstract: A multidisciplinary technological approach to volcano monitoring is mandatory to optimize the early warning system for future volcanic eruptions. Such a multidisciplinary approach must be constantly updated with technological development. As part of this multidisciplinary approach to volcanic monitoring, attention to volcanic gases is one of the most important volcanic monitoring tool. The chemical composition of the gases emanating from a volcano, whether visible or non-visible (diffuse emissions), provides vital information on the degree of activity of a volcano. Monitoring and studying the behavior of volcanic gases as precursors of volcanic activity has attracted increasing interest from the scientific community. Nowadays, in situ estimation of the emission of trace gases such as He is not possible, as the flux of this species is too low and would require too long accumulation times to distinguish changes in concentration inside the collection chamber. Helium (He) has unique characteristics as a geochemical tracer, as it is chemically inert and radioactively stable, non-biogenic, highly mobile and relatively insoluble in water. He flux is traditionally estimated following theoretical simulations, with strong limitations in the precision and accuracy of the He flux estimation. We present a project that aims to overcome the technological limitations and develop a prototype to measure diffuse He emissions in situ in volcanic areas. The instrument will be suitable to be transported easily on the back of the volcanologist to complete surveys with tens of measurements each day. The project will take advantage of recent technological advances in two different technologies: (1) the miniaturization of quadrupole mass spectrometers (QMS), which have managed to drastically reduce their dimensions and weight; and (2) the possible spectrophotometric detection of He in trace levels.
Keywords: Helium emission; diffuse degassing; volcanic activity
Author Profile (first or corresponding author):
Nemesio M. Pérez, INVOLCAN’s Scientist-in-charge, mainly engaged in geochemical research applied to volcano monitoring, surface geothermal exploration, groundwater studies and environmental issues, etc.
E-mail: nperez@iter.es
